Girl, 5, dies on Spanish beach holiday when rubber ring she was paddling in is suddenly dragged 1,000 feet out to sea by strong winds
A FIVE-year-old girl has died on a beach holiday in Spain after the rubber ring she was sat in was dragged nearly 1,000 feet out to sea by strong winds.
The young girl, reportedly from Georgia, US, was visiting the Spanish Costa Dorada with her family when tragedy struck.
The holidaymakers were staying in the city of Tarragona in the north-eastern Spanish region of Catalonia when they went to enjoy a day on the beach and the little girl entered the sea in a rubber ring.
According to local media, nobody saw the five-year-old being dragged out to sea by the currents and strong wind.
The Spanish emergency services received a call at around midday when the youngster was already 300 metres (984 feet) from the shore.
Reports said that members of the Maritime Safety and Rescue Agency, local police and Red Cross were sent to the scene and by the time rescuers reached the girl, she had already lost the inflatable and was unconscious.
TRAGEDY
Efforts were made to revive the girl on a rescue vessel heading back to shore, and paramedics continued trying to save her for over an hour at the port, according to local media.
When nothing further could be done to save the lifeless child, the Red Cross sent a psychologist and translator to tell the Georgian parents the horrifying news.
According to local media, the beach was not attended by lifeguards as the holiday season has not officially started yet.
Reports also said that there were no flags advising beachgoers about the conditions.
It is unclear whether the local authorities are investigating the incident.
The Costa Dorada is a popular Mediterranean spot with holidaymakers, which lies south-west of Catalonia's capital Barcelona.
most read in world news
It has a number of resorts and beaches along the coast with mainly calm, shallow waters.
A British tourist, 51, died after getting into trouble while swimming off the popular Carvajal beach on the Costa del Sol earlier this month.
Efforts to save him through CPR failed and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.